Shoplifting is a major problem for operators in all segments of the retail industry. Shoplifting alone costs retailers over $18 billion annually in terms of loss of gross sales and the cost of prosecuting apprehended thieves. The number of incidents that go unreported, or even undocumented, by retail stores far surpasses the number of reported or documented cases.
In 2004, a survey indicated that more than 750,000 shoplifting apprehensions took place in just twenty-seven large retail companies. These companies have more than 12.000 stores and a combined 2004 annual sales in excess of $400 billion. Some shoplifter-related facts from this survey are (i) in 2004, survey participants apprehended 689,000 shoplifters, reflecting an increase of 5% over the number of shoplifter apprehensions in 2003, (ii) dollars recovered from shoplifting apprehensions totaled over $70.0 million in 2004, a 1.50% increase over 2003 recoveries ($70 million), and (iii) the dollars recovered from shoplifters where no apprehension was made increased for the eighth consecutive year.
To combat these losses, merchants have sometimes had to take extreme measures to control shoplifting. Most large retailers employ plain-clothes floor detectives to observe customers as they shop. Plain clothes floor detectives alone are not enough of a deterrent because they are seemingly invisible to the customer. Many stores use video surveillance cameras and electronic article surveillance (EAS) devices attached to their products that cause alarms to go off if not deactivated by the cashier. Others retailers physically secure expensive and high theft items, like small leather items, perfume, and cosmetics in locked enclosures. Other retailers use cables or hanger locks that require the assistance of a sales associate to unlock the expensive item of clothing before you can inspect it.
There have been, over the years, many technological advances in the prevention of shoplifting. EAS, closed circuit television cameras and exception monitoring has been employed in some retailers but can be expensive. In many cases due to the cost, technology such as EAS is implemented to protect only high-end merchandise.
For example, to prevent theft, retail stores often contain multiple ceiling-mounted surveillance cameras. The surveillance camera may be stationary (e.g., mounted on a pole or extension device) or mounted to a servomotor device and is often hidden within a colored dome to hide the camera. To cover as much of the store as possible with one camera, the surveillance camera is often mounted to a servomotor that rotates the camera. The servomotor rotates the camera through a predetermined range of motion (e.g. 30°) at a specific rate of motion.
If the camera is located within a colored dome, consumers within the retail store cannot tell which part of the store the camera is currently surveying. However, the servomotor often makes a noise as it is rotating the camera. Experienced shoplifters listen for the sound of the servomotor operating and determine the position of the camera based on the motor noise. If the servomotor takes 3-5 seconds to rotate the camera through the entire range of motion, the shoplifter can time the noise of the servomotor to coordinate his or her shoplifting white the camera is not surveying that specific section of the store. Thus, retail stores lose merchandise to shoplifters.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved surveillance system and/or deterrent to prevent or reduce shoplifting. The present invention provides such a system.